I am pleased to send greetings to the 17th William G. Demas Memorial Lecture.  Last year was exceptional for international cooperation.  World leaders adopted the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change.  Taken together, these game changing commitments promise to transform the global economy, expand dignity and opportunity for all, and leave a healthier planet for future generations.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda are comprehensive and integrated.  Many threads run through their rich tapestry.  One example is sustainable energy, which connects economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability.  A worldwide transformative approach to energy will bring new prosperity and well-being to billions of people and provide massive new investment opportunities.  The objective is encapsulated by SDG 7, with its three interlinked targets on universal access, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Here in Caribbean region, many nations are rising to the challenge to provide sustainable energy. These commendable efforts carry important lessons for the rest of the world.  Around the globe, new and exciting partnerships are forming, including recent strong collaborations between multilateral development banks and the United Nations.  Investors and financiers are looking with new interest at low-carbon growth.  They see opportunity and good risk management in clean energy and resource-efficient solutions.  Falling prices for renewable energy, especially solar, and new business models are bringing these solutions ever closer the world’s poorest people, and the Paris Agreement has now sent a powerful signal that a low-carbon global economy is inevitable, beneficial and already under way.

Here, on the front lines of climate change, you know that we are at a pivotal moment.  The world’s appetite for energy continues to grow, and the global thermostat continues to rise.  While the direction of travel is changing, much more needs to be done to reach our destination.  More than $1 trillion is needed in annual investment from public and private sectors between now and 2030 to bridge the energy access gap.  Governments, multilateral financial institutions and the private sector must provide the necessary policy instruments and resources that will support the transformation to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy.  This includes putting a price on pollution, and providing incentives for low-carbon growth throughout the world, and especially in developing and vulnerable countries, including of course Small Island Developing States, which need timely and meaningful assistance.

By working together, in partnership, we can achieve SDG 7 and all the Sustainable Development Goals.  I urge all actors over the coming decades to ensure that we build a sustainable future that leaves no-one behind.